BRITAIN’S TRADE.

Southland Times, Issue 19515, 15 May 1922, Page 4

BRITAIN’S TRADE.

There has been another set-back in the British trade figures, due in a large measure to the industrial disturbances, forced on by the engineering and shipbuilding firms in the Old Country. Uncertainty regarding European affairs also had a great deal to do with the heavy falls in both imports and exports, items with a decidedly unwelcome flavour, because they mark a check to the steady upward movement extending over some months. The following figures, affording a comparison month by month between the present year and the position twelve months earlier are interesting because they show the fluctuations in British trade between last month and May of 1920;

Meat was responsible for the larger part of the decrease in imports, accounting for £5,265,000, but, as we suggested last month, there wen; increases in the inward shipments of raw-cotton and wool. The fact that machinery, iron and steel manufacturers and vehicles account for decreases in exports amounting to £6,800,000, shows one of the principal reasons for the slump in exporte; but against that fact is the improvement in the coal export trade, which reports an increase in April of £3,340,000, compared with April of 1921.

IMPORTS £ £ 1920 1921 May «• 166,474,000 86,308,000 June .. 170,266,000 88,182,000 July .« ». 163,127,000 80,757,000 August . * > . 153,343,000 88,581,000 September .. 152,757,000 87,118,000 October .. 149,631,000 84,742,000 November 144,260,000 89,281,000 December ». 142,785,000 85,212,000 1921 1922 January 117,050,000 76,499,000 February .. .. 96,974,000 69,339,000 March ,. .. 93,742,000 87,879,000 April .. *. 89,995,000 77,094,000 EXPORTS 1920 1921 £ £ May .. .. .. 119,319,000 43,088,000 June .. 116,352,000 38,152,000 July .. „ 137,452,000 43,172,000 August .<, 114,903,000 117,456,000 51,346,000 September ... 55,248,000 October .. .. 112,295.000 62,265.000 November 119,365,000 62,385,000 December • « 96,331,000 59,075,000 1921 1922 January 92,756,000 63,147,000 February 68,222,000 58,336,000 March .. .. 66,809,000 64,581,000 April .. ., 59,868,000 55,508,000 RE-EXPORTS £ £ 1920 1921 May .. >. »« 20,260,000 7,232,000 June .. .. .. 20,124,000 7,083,000 July .. - „ 17,848,000 9,361,000 August .. .. 13,368,000 9,998,000 September 13,351,000 8,595,000 October .. .. 16,133,000 10,386,000 November — •• 13,115,000 9,823,000 December .» . * 12,699,000 9,203,000 1921 1922 January 9,955,000 8,459,000 February ** *. 8,004,000 5,835,000 March .. 8,888,000 7,622,000 April .. .. 8,524,000 9,200,000